2/16/2012

The Riding-Men of Rhadamanthus

The
insular and autarchical old Easterling colony of Rhadamanthus is known
for its mounted warriors - not its cavalry, for they eschew the horse.
Instead, they breed their mounts from human stock. These riding-men are
larger and stronger than their masters, essentially horse-sized, and go
on all fours. These brutes are no more intelligent than a horse, and
have come to feed on grass and other fodder. Their call is an idiot
moan, and they go unclothed and unaware of their nakedness. Generally,
only males are used as mounts; females are smaller and reserved for
breeding. Rhadamanthine etiquette considers the riding of a female to be
extremely uncouth. Usually they are groomed to have long, flowing hair
and full beards; occasionally a riding-man's hair will be braided,
especially if he is a military mount.

A
riding man functions similarly to a horse in most respects, though they
are better climbers and navigators of rocky terrain than a horse, if
somewhat worse jumpers. Though there are numerous varieties, outsiders
are most likely to encounter the quick-footed Jeroboam, bred for travel,
or a mighty Nebuchadnezzar, bred and trained for war.Jeroboam________

The
Nebuchadnezzar is a warrior's mount and popularly held to share a
warrior's disposition. The Nebuchadnezzar's rider, if wielding a lance,
can score double damage on a successful charge attack. During subsequent
rounds, the trained Nebuchadnezzar can attack along with his rider,
striking out with his massive fists. Carrying capacity is 400lb. (full
movement) or 800lb. (half movement.)

A Knight of Rhadamanthus

Riding-men
are an uncommon livestock in the Abraxas region, but traveling
merchants sometimes can be found selling the beasts at a premium. Price,
if available, will usually be about twice that of a comparable horse
(Jeroboam 150 GP, Nebuchadnezzar 500 GP). Most riding-men available for
sale will conform to the statistics above, but there is a 10% chance of
an unusual specimen:

Roll d6 (Jeroboam) / d10 (Nebuchadnezzar)

1
Strider : This strong-backed specimen is capable of walking bipedally
for 1d6 hours per day before tiring (Roll each day). While upright, he
can bear a rider on his shoulders, and cradle objects with his forearms.
Carrying capacity is 10% more than normal.

2 Wall-Crawler : This
remarkable riding-man is a gifted climber and, while unburdened by a
rider, can Climb Sheer Surfaces as a thief of a level equal to his hit dice. Uneven terrain
is trivial to this riding-man. However, he is high-strung and his morale
is 1 worse than normal.

3 Swimmer : This lean and muscular
riding-man appears, unusually, to bear traits similar to natives of the
continent. He is capable of swimming at 90'(30') for up to 1d6 hours per
day, and can carry a rider while doing so. He swims in a front-crawl
style, so the ride is not leisurely for the rider and a drenching is
inevitable.

4 Hermaphrodite : This strange individual reproduces
parthenogenetically. Hardy, +1 to saves.Each month of the summer, roll
d6. On a 1, it is on its way to being a proud father/mother. Foaling
follows 9 months later in the spring. All foals are male. A Jeroboam
will produce more Jeroboams, a Nebuchadnezzar will produce (d6) 1-4
Runtish, effectively a Jeroboam 5-6 Full Nebuchadnezzar. There may be a
2% chance of twins at the discretion of the DM.

5 Scent-Man :
This riding-man has an exceptional sense of smell and tracks as well as a
hound. He has an incorrigible digging habit and is easily distracted by
truffles. Willful, but bold; Morale is 1 better than normal.

6
Atavism : This melancholy-looking beast bares a faint ancestral memory
of his human ancestors. He has an effective Intelligence of 3. May
conceal his primal and rebellious intellect from his master. (50%
chance)

7 Bellower : This barrel-chested riding-man is gifted
with immensely powerful lungs and vocal cords. His stark basso calls may
be heard up to 5 miles away. Enemies shouted at in a 45 degree cone up
to 30 feet away must save vs. dragon breath or suffer a -2 penalty to
attack rolls and armor class for 1 round. Foes of animal intelligence
may be subject to a morale check at the DM's discretion.

8 Fearless : This clear-eyed and handsome riding-man never checks morale and is immune to magical fear.

9
Grappler : This burly and stout-limbed individual (+1 HP/die) is both
unusually flexible and unfortunately temperamental. He will attempt to
wrestle a creature that attacks him, unless he makes a morale check. +1
bonus to grappling. His rider is almost certain to be thrown, calling
for a Dexterity check to avoid d6 damage from the fall. May be trained
to grapple on command as a trick.

10 Cannibal : This rangy and
gangrel-looking riding-man has an unsettling habit of making eye-contact
with you. He prefers a diet of meat and becomes willful if given only
fodder (-2 morale.) In combat he will bite, with wicked teeth, of his own accord (d8
damage). Unintelligent foes in melee with him are at -1 morale, horses
and other riding-men are at -2. Prefers horse or human meat.

Apologies for the off-topic comment, but I couldn't find a contact email for you.

I've recently put out an ebook of my writing, called The New Death and others. It's mostly short stories, with some obvious gamer-interest material. For example I have a story inspired by OD&D elves, as well as poems which retell Robert E Howard's King Kull story The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune and HP Lovecraft's Under the Pyramids.

I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing a review on your blog (either a normal book review, or a review of its suitability as gaming inspiration).

If so, please let me know your email, and what file format is easiest for you, and I'll send you a free copy. You can email me (news@apolitical.info) or reply to this thread.

Apologies for the off-topic comment, but I couldn't find a contact email for you.

I've recently put out an ebook of my writing, called The New Death and others. It's mostly short stories, with some obvious gamer-interest material. For example I have a story inspired by OD&D elves, as well as poems which retell Robert E Howard's King Kull story The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune and HP Lovecraft's Under the Pyramids.

I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing a review on your blog (either a normal book review, or a review of its suitability as gaming inspiration).

If so, please let me know your email, and what file format is easiest for you, and I'll send you a free copy. You can email me (news@apolitical.info) or reply to this thread.

James - I think it would be a while before I got around to reading the ebook but once I have gotten some more posts up and have an good open weekend I'll get back in touch with you about it. I'm a fan of your Age of Fable game and tables, and the Telelili blog. Good to see you drop by.

This is amazing. I love your representation of the absolute amorality that would have to go into breeding, buying, and using riding-men. I love your use of the art. I know nothing else about Rhadmanthus, but I can already imagine the feel of the place, and the kind of absolute power the strong must have over the weak there.

I feel like this rivals anything in Carcosa for its cynical view of humanity, especially since you wouldn't encounter riding-men as part of some kind of rare and forbidden ritual. They'd be right there, in the most banal pre-adventure experience, buying animals and hiring henchmen.

I think that in Rhadamanthus the natives would not consider their society to be one wherein "the kind of absolute power the strong must have over the weak " is apparent; of course it's implicit but they'd consider themselves perfectly civilized. It certainly must have taken that attitude to develop the riding-men but by now it's merely "at it has always been" and they are but animals to the Rhadamanthines. But it is a clue to the "national character" of their society.